1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and devices structured for holding bedclothes or bed coverings such as top sheets, blankets and possibly bedspreads in place on a bed while the bed is slept in. The present invention also renders a bed easier to make after the bed has been slept in.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following is a listing of relevant prior art of which I am aware, and which illustrates the present state of the art in this field. The prior art devices are somewhat numerous, which I believe indicates the perception, over an extended period of time, that further improvement in devices for anchoring bedclothes still exists. Additionally, although the field of devices concerning the anchoring of bedclothes is relatively old and crowded, over the years several new forms of beds have been introduced, rendering some of the prior art anchoring devices completely unusable on these new beds. Recent developments in bed structures, at least in the U.S.A., include air inflated beds, water or floatation beds, and futons. Typically air beds and floatation beds include open-topped box frames which do not include bed frame side support rails or exposed under-springs relied upon by many prior art anchoring devices. Additional problems in the prior art devices include clamping or pinching structures which cannot be sufficiently tightened by the user onto the bedding so as to prevent the bedding from slipping from the clamp during the night. Another problem in the prior art devices is the reliance upon clamping structures which are applied to the bedding which include sharp teeth. These sharp teeth are to prevent the slipping of the bedding from the clamp, but, they have the drawback of cutting or punching holes into the bedding which is clearly damaging and therefore undesirable. Another problem present in some of the prior art devices is the requirement that screw or nail holes be permanently made in the bed frame or post, which would be objectionable to many who have fancy or expensive wood bed frames and headboards. Yet another problem in prior art devices is the use of anchoring straps which rely on the availability of exposed bed posts or rails which are not always present on many modern beds. A still further problem in some of the prior art devices is insufficient adjustability for accommodating different thicknesses of mattresses, as mattresses can vary greatly in thickness. Some mattresses are only about 4 inches thick, while others are 12 to 14 inches thick. A further problem existing in some prior art devices is the restrictions on placement on the bed, leaving the user with few optional placements of the anchoring device on the bed.
Although all of the hereinabove described shortcomings do not exist in any single prior art anchoring device for bedclothes, all of the following prior art structures do have one or more of the above described problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,016, issued on May 5, 1987 to Ronald D. Seeman, teaches a bedclothes retainer. The Seeman device includes a small spring clip having sharp teeth and which is attached to a hook and loop anchoring piece by a flexible strap. As mentioned above, the sharp or jagged teeth would damage the bedclothes with a strong pull. Furthermore, it is suggested the anchor piece of Seeman's retainer is backed with an adhesive for attachment to the bottom of the mattress, bed frame or box springs. Seeman's anchor member appears too small to be adequately retained in position without the adhesive, yet the adhesive eliminates periodic removal of the retainer as desired.
R. X. McArthur was issued U.S. Pat. No. 420,083 on Jan. 28, 1890 for a clamp for holding bedclothes. McArthur's clamp includes a wide elastic band affixed on one end with an attachment hook, and on the opposite end a clamping member. The attachment hook requires permanent alteration of the bed frame by the application of a screw or nail for retaining the clamp in position. Most people would not want to place a screw into their bed frame.
A sheeting holder was patented on Apr. 5, 1960, U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,084, by H. K. De Witt. De Witt's sheeting holder includes a resilient strap affixed on one end with a hook, and the other end affixed with a clamping member. The hook is designed for placement over the side support rail of the bed frame, however not all beds have exposed side rails, such as water and air beds with wooden box frames, or futons which are often placed directly on the floor. De Witt's clamp also does not appear to be strong enough to adequately retain bedclothes when there is a strong pull on them, such as when a sleeper rolls over during the night. The small, slidable button on the clamp, which serves to force the clamp closed, would be excessively hard to manipulate for older people, especially those suffering from arthritis, and therefore it is doubtful the clamp could normally be applied sufficiently tight as to adequately hold bedclothes from being inadvertently pulled from the clamp.
S. Goldberg was granted U.S. Pat. No. 1,365,169, on Jan. 11, 1921, for a bedclothes holder. The Goldberg holder includes a flexible strap retained onto the spring rail of the bed frame with a buckle arrangement. The opposite end of the strap is affixed with a gripping clamp having a locking lever. Again, not all beds have spring rails for use with this type of attachment. Those beds that do have spring rails generally have the full weight of the bed and box springs resting on them which would make it difficult, especially for older people, to loop the end of the strap over the spring rail while holding the edge of the mattress and box springs upward above the rail in order to initially wrap the strap around the rail.
A. E. Birdsall was issued U.S. Pat. No. 443,742, on Dec. 30, 1890, for a bedclothes fastener. Birdsall's fastener includes a strap for attachment around the side bars of the bed frame, with the strap connected to a detachable hook, which is in turn affixed to a safety pin. While the safety pin may securely retain the bedclothes, it requires puncturing the material which may permanently damage some fabrics. Additionally, there does exist the possibility the safety pin could come open during the night to leave the sharp point exposed to stick the sleeper.
A bedclothes holder was patented on Jan. 18, 1949, U.S. Pat. No. 2,459,497, by H. D. Calabro. Calabro's holder includes a large, flat and flexible anchor member endwardly affixed with two flexible connecting members or straps affixed with clothes-pin type clamps. It is doubtful that clothes-pin type clamps would have sufficient holding strength absent sharp biting teeth which would damage bedclothes, and absent any anti-slip covering such as a padding or rubbery covering as used with the present invention to be disclosed. Additionally, the large flexible anchor member or anchor plate of Calabro would be difficult to insert under a large heavy mattress due to the flexibility of the anchor member. Since the Calabro's anchor member is comprised of flexible material, it cannot be pushed between the mattress and box springs, but rather, it must be laid in place. An anchor member placed between the box springs and the mattress must periodically be removed to change the box spring cover or dust ruffle, and a flexible anchor such as that of Calabro's would be difficult to install due to its flexibility. Additionally, a flexible anchor plate has the disadvantage of bending, and if the anchor plate is placed near the edge of the mattress, which is where it is most convenient to be placed for installation and removal thereof, a bendable anchor plate is far more likely to pull out from underneath the mattress with pulling force applied to the bedclothes to which the anchor is attached via the strap between the bedclothes and the anchor plate. This increased likelihood of pulling out is relative to a rigid anchor plate, as used with the present invention to be disclosed. With a flexible anchor plate such as Calabro's, the plate can bend and flex upward around the edge of the mattress, following the side edge of the mattress upward and finally slipping completely free of the mattress under a pull on the strap. With a rigid or substantially non-bendable anchor plate such as I use, under a pull, the anchor cannot bend upward and follow the pull direction of the strap, and thus in order for it to slip from under the mattress, the forward end of the rigid anchor would have to move straight laterally outward from the mattress, which is in the opposite direction of the pull on the strap connected to the anchor plate, sufficiently far for the trailing end to free the mattress, which is clearly very unlikely. Most mattresses are somewhat flexible at the corner edges, which renders it easier to pull any anchor plate out from underneath the mattress whether the anchor is flexible or rigid, however, if the rigid anchor plate is sufficiently long, even with a highly flexible mattress corner, the anchor plate will not pull out under normal expected pulls on bedclothes which may be rendered stationary by the anchor plate, which is the arrangement with my invention as will be further disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 852,180, was issued to A. M. Hoffman on Apr. 30, 1907, for a bedclothes fastener. Hoffman's fastener includes an elongated cord having a loop on one end for attachment around the bed rails or spring rails of the bed frame, and two spring clamps affixed on the opposite end for attachment to the bedclothes. The disadvantages of attachment to the bed rails or spring rails of the bed have previously been mentioned, and the spring clamps of the device have serrated teeth which might damage the bedclothes.
G. W. Gartz was granted U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,412, on Dec. 3, 1940, for a comforter anchor. Gartz's anchor includes a flexible strap affixed on one end to a rubbery resilient anchor member, and a snap fastener on the opposite end for releasable connection to a mating snap fastener attached to the comforter. Rubbery and resilient equates to flexible, and the disadvantages of a flexible anchor plate is hereinabove described. Gartz's device requires the attachment of a snap fastener to the lower edges of the comforter, which may result in damaging the material.